Ethics commissioner Mario Dion said he was only “thinking out loud” when he suggested to members of Parliament last week that he could be granted the power to ban media from reporting on his office’s investigations.

In an interview with CBC’s As It Happens Monday, the recently appointed watchdog insisted he “never recommended” he be allowed to impose publication bans and the subject only came up because of an MP’s question about information leaked to reporters.

Dion said he “believes strongly in the role of the media” and confirmed he will not pressure parliament for the ability the control what the media publishes.

“It was more in the order of thinking out loud. I did not recommend or suggest that the committee consider a media ban,” he told As It Happens host Carol Off. “I said what I had to say last Thursday vis-à-vis a number of things and then we will see what the government does and what parliamentarians wish to do and I will not push for anything, including this ‘thinking out loud’ possibility that in selected circumstances there could be an order made not to publish.”

Dion added he was “just concerned about respecting fairness” as well as the presumption of innocence in the investigative process under the Conflict of Interest Act, the law he is responsible for administering. He said his desire to conduct investigations in private is circumstantial and described the idea of a ban for added confidentiality would be “an exceptional measure.”

The commissioner appeared before the parliamentary ethics committee last Thursday during which he presented his wish list of amendments to the Act, which MPs will review shortly. Among them, Dion suggested he be given the power to issue “confidentiality orders” to complainants, witnesses and subjects of investigations to prohibit them from sharing information until he has released a report. He argued that the “public airing of requests for examination” has a negative effect on the integrity of the system and makes it harder for investigators to do their jobs.

When asked by NDP MP Irene Mathysson how he would manage situations when information is leaked the media, he suggested something akin to issuing a publication ban.

“You could actually prohibit the media from broadcasting,” he said on February 8. “It may be legal. It may not be constitutional. It has to be looked at, basically. … But conceivably, it could be done.”

In the days that followed, several news outlets published scathing editorials condemning the idea.

Asked if he was “walking back” his thoughts regarding a media ban, Dion said “no” and denied he was changing his tune due to the negative reaction the idea drew.

“I’m not. I’m just saying, I said what I had to say last week and unless and until it’s under active consideration, it’s over,” he said. “My approach last week was to share with (MPs) some possibilities and we’ll see what they do with them.”

Dion assumed his position on Jan. 9, 2018.

Dion has reportedly pledged to be a “tougher” ethics watchdog than his predecessor. He said during the same CBC radio interview Monday that his office, under his leadership, will place priority on conducting and completing probes “with as much speed as possible” and that, in an effort to increase transparency, he will organize technical briefings for media the same day his office tables a report in Parliament to “explain” the findings.